Week 6 Pictures

Week 6

HI!

Happy Thanksgiving!  For the morning devotional today we got to see Elder Russell M. Nelson up close and personal. It was great.  He is so personable and friendly and amazing.  His talk was great!!!!  (By the way, Tuesday's devotional we sang in the choir- "Come Thou Fount" ---best song ever and then Elder D. Todd Christofferson came!!!!  IT WAS SO GOOD.)  We had Thanksgiving dinner in the cafeteria.  I am so GRATEFUL for the food and all those people that had to work and cook today to provide for us.

I am very happy here.  I feel the Spirit so strong everyday whether it's when I am reading my scriptures, when I am singing songs, when I am praying, when I am teaching, even when I am just walking around.

Something that Elder Christofferson said really hit me. I am a companion to Christ. I am a companion to the prophet Thomas S. Monson. I am a companion to the apostles. Elder Christofferson thanked us for serving along side with him and the other general authorities. The Spirit of Christ is always with me. I am always wearing his name next to my heart. In his talk, he said not to worry whether or not you are feeling the Spirit. He said our thoughts will oftentimes turn into the Lord's thoughts. They will be one and the same. I just need to open my mouth and trust Him to lead me and guide me. I have an apostolic duty to preach the gospel to the world. I have been set apart for this. Incredible to think about it. And very comforting too.

I know with all of my heart that Christ is my Savior. He suffered a lot for my sins, pains, afflictions, sorrow, sicknesses (Alma 7:11-13). He is there for me. He is there for all of us. His hand is always reached out. We just need to grab it. He wants to help us sooooo badly. We just need to humble ourselves and let Him into our hearts to take away the pain and the doubts and the insecurities. He is there. He loves us so much. He knows what we're going through. He knows US INDIVIDUALLY.

Have a good week. Lift your heads up and be of good cheer for He is always with us.

Love,
Hermana Laura Johnson

Week 5 Pictures

Week 5

Hello,

So my new roommates are great. So total in my room are 6. Hermana Marshall and I. Hermana Smith (from Georgia going to Salt Lake Spanish) and Hermana Chevalier (from Montana going to Riverside, CA Spanish), and then Sora Komar (from Russia/Washington State (both her parents died in Russia she was in an orphanage for 3 years and then a family from Washington adopted her and brought her to the states, introduced her to the church-she got baptized went to BYU-I and is now on a mission) going to Romania!) and Sora Sam (from Sacramento area, CA going to Romania). They are great girls. And we love sharing clothes.

So on Saturday we do the TRC-Teaching Resource Center where people come and to the MTC and volunteer to be taught. Hermana Marshall and I taught this one lady from Peru. Her accent and Spanish was beautiful I could listen to her forever. We had the sweetest experience. We were talking to her about the importance of scriptures in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We told her about the opportunity we have to receive revelation through our scripture reading. Some things led to another and she shared with us a very special experience about how the missionaries found her family. How she wanted to be baptized for the longest time growing up. Her dad asked her what she wanted for her quincienera (15th bday-super huge celebration for the girls in Latino cultures) and she said the only thing she wanted was to be baptized into the Mormon church. Her dad finally let her. She then had a desire later in life to serve a mission. She approached her dad and he finally let her...she served in another part of Peru. She was in Utah at BYU. Her dad came and visited her, saw how happy she was. Finally accepted the discussions and got baptized!! She was crying when she was telling us. It was so precious and so incredible to hear about it.

So then we went into our next appointment and it was way good....this week's speakers were really good on Sunday and Tuesday night. The choir song on Tuesday night was great. We sang "Be Still My Soul." One of my favorite songs.

Yesterday we went to a workshop where we usually just sit in a bigger room and watch video clips of General Conference addresses and other things. But Hermana Marshall and I were pulled out of the classroom and were asked to teach an investigator the first lesson in Spanish.

Her name was Andrea. She was from Mexico.We were pretending we were in California. The Spirit was so strong. My companion and I were blessed with the gift of tongues...I honestly believe that....and the gift of interpretation of tongues. Andrea was speaking so fast....somehow those slurring of words meant something that I could understand. 45 minutes later we came out of the room overflowing with the Spirit and gratitude and excitement for our callings as missionaries of the Lord. When I recited the First Vision to Andrea...I struggled remembering it at first...but then the words of the account came easily out of my mouth. I paused at the right moments. My voice was shaking, my heart was pounding. I was sharing this beautiful experience in a different language other than my own. I was sharing it by memory. It was the MOST INCREDIBLE THING EVER.

I know with all my heart that this is where I am supposed to be and that the "Lord is always in the details" (from a devotional talk). I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that he restored Christ's true church on the earth today and that we have the fullness of his gospel. INCREDIBLE.

Love,

Hermana Laura Johnson

Week 4 Pictures

Week 4 Letter

Family and Friends,

I love you all. Thank you for your support and for your prayers. This e-mail is going to be short which I apologize. There is so much I want to say! I wish my fingers could type as fast as my brain forms sentences.

I love SPANISH. I am using it more and more now. I am trying to stretch myself and humble myself to learn more from my teachers and my district.

I love the schedule here at the MTC. There are incredible Devotionals and Firesides each week to help strengthen us as missionaries. We have been told many times for general authorities that the prophet personally and the other apostles pray for us at least once a week in the meetings on Thursday mornings. Not only that, but billions of prayers are offered for missionaries and/or missionary work every endowment session in the temples around the world. Reminding myself of this helps me work harder and be more determined to do my best to prepare for the people that I will come in contact with in Spain.

Speaking of Spain, 10 Spain Visas came in Tuesday night. My "Barcelona Buddy" Elder Watkins got his visa and so did a couple hermanas that I met...plus 7 others. The 3 I talked to said that they turned in their applications in June, july, and August. Elder Watkins told me that the travel office lady said they will be coming faster now. One of the Hermanas had to get reassigned to Temple Square because she had been waiting for so long and her 9 weeks were up in the MTC. Her and the other hermana (who was a native Spanish speaker-so she was only here at the Provo MTC for 3 weeks) were reassigned to Temple Square for a couple weeks. But now they will be headed to Spain (not to the MTC but straight to Barcelona) flying out on Monday. Elder Watkins turned in his visa application in August. He entered the Provo MTC the same day as me-Oct 12. He is headed to the Madrid MTC on Monday to finish his training there for the next 5 weeks before he heads out to Barcelona.

The 2 Hermanas that I met before I entered the MTC are still waiting. Hermana Stephensen turned in her application in August, so she'll probably be next. Hermana Jorgenson turned hers in Oct 7th, my companion turned hers in Oct. 12, and mine was turned in Oct. 17th so we'll see how it goes.

I will have to tell you more next week. I have so many thoughts and experiences I want to share with you. One thing I want to leave you with this week is my testimony. It's growing little by little everyday. I still can't believe I am on a mission. I made it! It's finally my turn. I want to make it the best I can. I want to be the best I can. I know that Heavenly father loves me and he expects my best. I also know that when my best doesn't seem good enough, that Christ will take over and cover the rest. He is close to my heart (literally on my nametag :)) He loves me and suffered for me in the garden of Gethsemane. I know that he is my Savior and Redeemer.

I love the Book of Mormon. Please read it everyday if you are not!!!!!!! It's great!!!!!

until next time.

Con amor,

Hermana Laura Johnson

MTC Pictures